Our approach

Ecovala’s approach to sustainability: system design and transformative innovation to disrupt business as usual

From a linear economy to a regenerative circular economy

The depletion of the world’s natural resources is inextricably linked with the generation of an increasing quantity of unwanted by-products, among which domestic and industrial waste, as well as various harmful emissions, are the most problematic. The current model is unquestionably linear, it is quite clear that it is bound to reach its own limits.

To reverse the trend, we advocate for a circular and regenerative economy, which takes nature as an example and considers that our systems should work like organisms, processing nutrients that can be fed back into the cycle – hence the “closed loop” or “regenerative” terms usually associated with it.

Systems thinking at the core of the innovation process

Systems thinking offers a powerful new perspective, a specialized language, and a set of tools that can be used to address the most stubborn problems in everyday life and work. Systems thinking is a way of understanding reality that emphasizes the relationships among a system’s parts, rather than the parts themselves. Based on a field of study known as system dynamics, systems thinking has a practical value that rests on a solid theoretical foundation.

Resilience thinking: beyond sustainability

Resilience thinking offers a different way of understanding the world and a new approach to managing resources. It embraces human and natural systems as complex entities continually adapting through cycles of change, and seeks to understand the qualities of a system that must be maintained or enhanced in order to achieve sustainability. It explains why greater efficiency by itself cannot solve resource problems and offers a constructive alternative that opens up options rather than closing them down.